Format: Picture Book Fiction

Mulan

MulanMulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior by Faye-Lynn Wu, Joy Ang
Published by HarperCollins on September 10, 2019
ISBN: 0062803417
Pages: 32
Genres: Folklore
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

This is a retelling of the classic Chinese folktale, The Ballad of Mulan. Mulan pretends to be a boy so she can fight in the army in place of her ailing father. The illustrations are colorful and well done, but there’s nothing particularly noteworthy about this book. It’s not bad, it just didn’t wow me. The story is a classic, and children will relate to hearing the familiar tale. This book would be good for Pre-K – 2nd grade and perhaps older kids too. It’s best shared one-on-one, or it could be a read aloud with an older crowd. It would be fun to pair with a showing of the movie.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

The Seekers

The SeekersThe Seekers by Deepti Nair, Hari Panicker
Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers on August 6, 2019
ISBN: 1524701521
Pages: 40
Genres: Folklore
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

This book is simply gorgeous. The handmade cut paper diorama illustrations really make it. They’re bright, bold, detailed, magical, and just beautiful. The story is the legend of the Silver Fox and the Fire Wolf: dueling forces in the natural world that balance each other out to promote harmony. When villagers become greedy, this balance is upset, and the Fire Wolf is given the upper hand. If it weren’t for overly wordy text, this book would get 5 stars from me. The story has a great message about respecting nature and the environment. This is probably best suited for kindergarteners and older, and because it’s longer, is best shared one-on-one. The illustrations could be a bit scary for littler readers, and the story would likely be lost on them.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

River

RiverRiver by Elisha Cooper
Published by Orchard Books on October 1, 2019
ISBN: 133831226X
Pages: 42
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

From Henderson Lake in the Adirondacks, we follow an intrepid canoeist as she traverses the more than 300 miles of the Hudson River all the way to New York City. This book is beautifully illustrated with watercolors that enhance the story and the bring life to the journey. The text takes us through the many adventures of this journey — rapids, camping, town stops, capsizing, etc. This is a fairly long and very detailed picture book so it’s probably best for kids no younger than 1st or 2nd grade, depending on attention spans. The vocabulary is pretty advanced for a picture book as well. It would be best shared as a one-on-one read aloud so you can easily explain vocab words while simultaneously dreaming about a long canoe trip together.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

Stormy

StormyStormy: a Story about Finding a Forever Home by Guojing
Published by Schwartz & Wade on September 17, 2019
ISBN: 1524771767
Pages: 34
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This wordless book is simply stunning. It’s a story about a stray pup, a very kind woman, a fierce storm, and the pup finding a forever home. The illustrations are exquisite, detailed, and gorgeous. They’re laid out like a graphic novel and combined with several impressive full page spreads. It is a heartwarming story of patience, kindness, and trust. This book would be best for K-3rd grade readers. A gorgeous, well thought out story. Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

1,2,3, Jump!

1,2,3, Jump!1, 2, 3, Jump! by Lisl H. Detlefsen, Madeline Valentine
Published by Roaring Brook Press on May 14, 2019
ISBN: 1626726817
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

This fun book explores the excitement and fears often associated with the first swim lessons. The main character appears more nervous than excited, but the promise of trying on flippers at the end of swim lessons is awfully alluring. The colorful illustrations bring life to the book and further the story well. My main criticism of this book is that the humor is somewhat demeaning of the kids. It’s meant to be light hearted and silly but sometimes comes across as belittling. Additionally, if someone has a child nervous about swim lessons, mentioning the fear of alligators, sea monsters, and sharks in the pool isn’t likely to be helpful. The power of suggestion is strong in little kids. Overall, however, the book is a fun look at swim lessons with a positive ending. It would be best shared one-on-one with kids Pre-K-1st grade.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

Rocket Says Look Up!

Rocket Says Look Up!Rocket Says Look Up! by Dapo Adeola, Nathan Bryon
Published by Random House ISBN: 1984894420
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Rocket is a little girl obsessed with the night sky and outer space. She can’t stop talking about it and wants the world to share in her enthusiasm. The Phoenix Meteor Shower is coming right up, and Rocket passes out flyers to all her friends and announces it at the local grocery store. All of this is much to the embarrassment of her older brother, Jamal. Can she get him to stop looking at his phone and look up?

This book is great for any family that has a child who is obsessed with a particular topic, especially if it’s space. It will inspire families to go out and look at the night sky. It could also be a sneaky way to get someone to spend less time on their phone. The illustrations are adorable. Rocket’s family has a mom and a brother (no mention of a father) and they are all dark-skinned. Background characters have a variety of skin tones and some wear turbans. Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Samantha Cote, Windham Public Library, Windham

five-stars

Pete The Cat: The Great Leprechaun Chase

Pete The Cat: The Great Leprechaun ChasePete the Cat: The Great Leprechaun Chase by James Dean
Published by HarperCollins on January 15, 2019
ISBN: 0062404504
Pages: 24
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
two-stars

Pete the Cat gets a brilliant idea of starting a leprechaun chasing business. Friends approach him to ask for help related to different problems that they are having, and Pete follows the rainbow to its end to find Clover, a leprechaun. Most of the time Clover evades him, singing a new song each time. Does Pete need the leprechaun for luck and to help his friends, or was it inside him all along?

The storyline doesn’t rise to the excellence of previous Pete the Cat books, but is a serviceable St. Patrick’s Day book if you need more in your collection. Additionally, it would fill the needs of your most ardent Pete the Cat fanatics. The illustrations are typical of a book in this series: simplistic and full of color. A poster, stickers, and 12 St. Patrick’s Day cards are included.

Reviewed by Samantha Cote, Windham Public Library, Windham

two-stars

Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas

Piranhas Don’t Eat BananasPiranhas Don't Eat Bananas by Aaron Blabey
Published by Scholastic Press on July 9, 2019
ISBN: 1338297139
Pages: 24
Genres: Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Though the title will make you want to mispronounce piranha so that it rhymes, this story is a rollicking good time for toddlers.  The front of the book defines piranhas as South American meat-eating fish who will eat anything, even “little children who’ve actually been pretty good.”  Brian the piranha offers his friends a number of different fruits and vegetables to try, but they insist that they won’t, and instead share a part of the body that they love to eat that happens to rhyme with said fruit or veggies.  Peas vs. knees. Plums vs. bums. Brian won’t give up and finally convinces his friends to try some fruit. In the end, though, they still prefer their meat. This book has many chances for audience interaction and using fun voices.  Perfect for a toddler storytime. It would also work well for parents trying to get their kids to try something new. Recommended for ages 3-8.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library

five-stars

Rain makes applesauce

Rain makes applesauceRain Makes Applesauce by Jerry Pinkney, Julian Scheer, Marvin Bileck
Published by Holiday House on December 10, 2019
ISBN: 0823443612
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This is a “restored edition” of this classic book with an introduction by Jerry Pinkney. Given this book is decades old and already recognized as excellent, I’ll keep my review short. The text is full of silly talk, and the gorgeous watercolor illustrations are exquisitely detailed. You can find something new in them with each reading. The repetitive text makes it a good selection for story time as the kids could finish each page with the “and rain makes applesauce” refrain. This book is best for PreK-1st grade. The introduction, what makes this edition unique, is wonderful and talks about the impact this book has had on Pinkney’s art and illustration career.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

Fergal and the bad temper

Fergal and the bad temperFergal and the Bad Temper by Robert Starling
Published by Imprint on April 30, 2019
ISBN: 1250198623
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Fergal is a nice dragon, but when someone tells him what to do, he gets really fiery. He has a hard time processing his anger, and it gets him into trouble all over town. When Fergal’s mom helps him find a coping strategy that works, he finds there are more fun things to do with his fire.

This is a great book about big emotions and how to process them. Anger is a real and common emotion for kids, and learning coping mechanisms is so important. This book is an accessible and fun way to help kids with this process. The colorful illustrations really bring Fergal’s emotions to life, and add an element of humor to the story. This book is best suited for Pre-K to 1st graders, and it would be a great read aloud for a story time about feelings and emotions. It could also be used for an older child as a one-on-one share to spark discussion about processing anger.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars